


Talk It Through Twitter

by maddiecasket



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Abbie Keener is a Good Sister, F/F, F/M, Harley Keener is a Good Boyfriend, I'll add more tags as i go, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Suicide, M/M, Not Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, Not Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Compliant, Parent Tony Stark, Peter Attempts Suicide, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker is Suicidal, Peter Parker is a Mess, Peter Self Harms, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Precious Peter Parker, Self-Harm, Slow Burn, Suicide Attempt, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-20
Updated: 2019-07-20
Packaged: 2020-07-09 12:47:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 17,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19888060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maddiecasket/pseuds/maddiecasket
Summary: Just your below average Twitter fic.





	1. Shenanigans

Totally Real SI Intern @beter_barkour

I just blew something up in the lab and @tonystark said 'I have no words' and then proceeded to yell at me for the next ten minutes :p

>You Already Know @tonystark

Kid, it was an _Iron Man gauntlet_ that you blew up

>> Totally Real SI Intern @beter_barkour

I was _experimenting_ Mr. Stark! It was in the name of Science!

Suck Not Life @catastrophecake

Ummmmm, who is @beter_barkour? And how the hell does he know the REAL @tonystark?

> Totally Real SI Intern @beter_barkour 

Because I'm @tonystark 's personal intern and favorite child! Suck it @hkeener 

>> Tony broke into my garage @hkeener

Omg rude I thought you actually liked me dude XD

>>> Totally Real SI Intern @beter_barkour 

Don't worry loser I still love you :] also, don't forget we have to prank Mr. Stark when we meet

>>>> You Already Know @tonystark 

KIDS NO

>>>>> Suck Not Life @catastrophecake

OMG WHAT THE HECK

Sticky web dude @spiderlad

Lmao just got stabbed currently healing around the knife 

> You Already Know @tonystark 

HOLY SHIT WHERE ARE YOU I'M COMING TO GET YOU

>> You Already Know @tonystark 

Don't worry Spider-Man is a complete dumbass but he's fine

>>> Stickey web dude @spiderlad

#spideysgood

>>>> Unsolved Mysteries @mjjones

#spideysgood

>>>>> Guy in the chair @nedwardleeds

#spideysgood

@buzzfeed

Breaking News! Spider-Man joins twitter and his first tweet is an announcement of being stabbed! Stay tuned and look out for more @spiderlad tweets! #spideysgood 

@the_offical_bugle

Spider-Man takes to social media! We once again bring up the thought, is he a menace or not!? #takedownspiderman

God Bless You America @steverogers

I hate Queens

> Totally Real SI Intern @beter_barkour 

Lol, I hate Brooklyn

>> And I oop- @pickledresponsibility

Um context?

>>> Totally Real SI Intern @beter_barkour 

nah

>>>> God Bless You America @steverogers

nah

>>>>> Literally My Life @wormfriend

?????

Sticky web dude @spiderlad

I have decided that chewing my food isn't fun or fresh so I'm going to dissolve my food with a convenient acid and drink it with a sexy crazy straw

> no thanks @sourplant

You're wild dude

>> Literally My Life @wormfriend

Lmao same

>>> Unsolved Mysteries @mjjones

Lol mood


	2. The Avengers

Natalie Rushman @blackwidow

@beter_barkour is wild. He just crawled through the vents from the lobby to the avengers common room after he got stopped by security. That's literally like 90 stories tall???

> Totally Real SI Intern @beter_barkour 

It was an emergency!! I forgot my security card in my room and they wouldn't let me in so I panicked!! 

>> Stark Industries CEO @pepperpotts

@beter_barkour You caused a tower lockdown. You could have just called me or Tony instead of climbing _90 stories_ up the air vents

>>> You Already Know @tonystark 

Lmao I'm proud of you kid. @birdbrain has taught you well!

>>>> Real Hawkeye @birdbrain

What did I do well? 

>>>>> Real Hawkeye @birdbrain

Oh shit, Pepper's gonna kill me

My blood is green @blurryblood

How many avengers does @beter_barkour know? I mean Iron Man, Black Widow, Captain America, Hawkeye? And not to mention THE Pepper Potts. Also who is @hkeener, @mjjones, and @nedwardleeds? I am confusion,,,

> Totally chill @technologyhorse

Wait!! Does @beter_barkour know @spiderlad too!?

>> Sticky Web Dude @spiderlad 

Yeah, I've met him. He's lame but I'm legally obligated to be his friend XD

>>> Suck Not Life @catastrophecake 

What the hell does that mean???

Sticky web dude @spiderlad

>>>> Lmao I'm kidding. It's not legal. He makes my suits and web fluid and stuff. Still lame tho

Totally Real SI Intern @beter_barkour 

Fight me @spiderlad I'll throw hands 

> Sticky web dude @spiderlad 

Lmao sure meet you on top of the avengers tower at 3.02am?

>> Totally Real SI Intern @beter_barkour 

It's a date my guy. I'll bring animal crackers you bring juice boxes?

>>> Sticky web dude @spiderlad 

Sick dude I'll be there

@FOX4 

Stark Industries intern @beter_barkour and Queens vigilante @spiderlad schedule meetup on twitter at 1 am! What will happen next?

@buzzfeed 

@beter_barkour and @spiderlad - Boyfriends or Enemies?! #frenemies #truelove #whoknows

@the_official_bugle 

Queens's very own 'vigilante' is interacting with Tony Stark's personal intern! Does this mean Spider-Man is in association with the Avengers?! #takedownspiderman

Big Green Dude @official_brucebanner

Hey, I'm back from space what did I miss?

> Seductive Lord of Thunder @thorodinson

IS THIS WHAT A TWEETER IS????!@?

>> Literally a frost giant @tesseractbaby

Brother, you must turn off caps lock. I believe phones are relatively easy to operate. 

>>> Sticky web dude @spiderlad 

Welcome back bros!! Short introduction, I'm Spider-Man, I'm not positive I have bones, I'm an unofficial avenger, and I'm stronger than Captain America. Have fun on earth my guys! 

>>>> Literally a frost giant @tesseractbaby

I like him. I must meet you sometime soon

>>>>> Sticky web dude @spiderlad 

Sick, my dude. I'm down

What's up dudes @smolbakery

OMG!! Thor, Loki, and Bruce Banner are all on earth! And Loki totally wants to meet @spiderlad? I hope he doesn't die he's too cute 

Totally Real SI Intern @beter_barkour 

My husband is returning from the war at last 

> Tony broke into my garage @hkeener

Don't worry bb I'll be there soon

>> Tony broke into my garage @hkeener

Lmao I almost forgot the potato gun

>>> Totally Real SI Intern @beter_barkour 

Holy shit I'm blushing 

>>>> Unsolved Mysteries @mjjones 

I'm sitting next to him I can confirm that he's blushing 

>>>>> Guy in the chair @nedwardleeds

Yo he's red as a tomato! 

>>>>>> Tony broke into my garage @hkeener

I'm honored?

Legends only @religiousvogue

It's going to be LEGENDARY when @hkeener and @beter_barkour meet! Can't wait to see what pranks they pull on the avengers! 

> Help me plz @aquaweapon

Omg, I just thought of this! The ultimate chaotic trio, @hkeener, @beter_barkour, and @spiderlad! Make it happen when @hkeener comes to New York!!

>> Sticky web dude @spiderlad 

Aw hell yeah I'm down 

>>> Tony broke into my garage @hkeener 

Oh bro I'm ready to absolutely _wreck_ the avengers. You down @beter_barkour?

>>>> Totally Real SI Intern @beter_barkour 

Oh I'm ready my guys 

>>>>> Sam Wilson @falconforreal

@aquaweapon You have doomed us all kid


	3. Weird Feelings

Sticky web dude @spiderlad 

I would just like to announce I consistently have no fuckin idea what I'm doing 

> Abercrombie @abeybaby

I feel so safe with the fact that this man is protecting my city

>> Sticky web dude @spiderlad 

Oh shit dude tight thanks

>>> Abercrombie @abeybaby 

Damn you responded thanks 

Sticky web dude @spiderlad 

Hey ask me questions I'm bored #askspidey

> Suck Not Life @catastrophecake 

How old are you? #askspidey

>> Sticky web dude @spiderlad 

Okay, so that's technically confidential info. But I will give you a hint. I was born at some point so I'm technically alive and I have a feeling I might die soon so all in all, I'm ageless

>>> Suck Not Life @catastrophecake 

What the fu-

>>>> Boo bitch @platoniclord

How did you get your powers? #askspidey 

>>>>> Sticky web dude @spiderlad 

I was bitten by a radioactive spider on a school field trip and then it immediately died! I have super strength, super senses, a spidey sense, enhanced healing, a super metabolism, and I can stick to things! 

>>>>>> I'm Rich Bitch @flashthompson

Do you _actually_ know @beter_barkour? Or is that just not true? #askspidey 

>>>>>>> Sticky web dude @spiderlad 

Yeah I totally know him. He's a cool dude. And! He's really, really smart! 

Winter soldier @jbuckybarnes

Fellas it's a great day to be in love with your childhood best friend 

> God Bless You America @steverogers 

Happy 84th anniversary Bucky! It's crazy having been in love with one person for the majority of my life! ♡

Totally Real SI Intern @beter_barkour 

Omg I love my uncles @jbuckybarnes & @steverogers! Happy 84th anniversary you two! #84thstuckyanniversary ♡

> Unsolved Mysteries @mjjones 

Happy #84thstuckyanniversary you two. I can't believe you guys have been married for so damn long. Can't relate ♡

>> Guy in the chair @nedwardleeds 

I can't express how happy I am for you two! #84thstuckyanniversary ♡

>>> You Already Know @tonystark 

#84thstuckyanniversary ♡

>>>> Stark Industries CEO @pepperpotts

#84thstuckyanniversary ♡

>>>>> Natalie Rushman @blackwidow

Happy #84thstuckyanniversary losers ♡

Sticky web dude @spiderlad 

My spider senses have been going absolutely crazy & I can't figure out what's wrong. They won't shut up and I'm literally vibrating so much it hurts? What's going on....

> My blood is green @blurryblood 

Yo are you okay dude? That doesn't sound good

>> Totally chill @technologyhorse 

Um, that doesn't sound good at all. You should tell someone 

>>> Sticky web dude @spiderlad 

Something is very very very wrong but everything seems so normal. This is seriously creeping me out. I think I might actually go insane if I don't figure this out.

>>>> Tony broke into my garage @hkeener 

I called Tony, Spidey. 

**[ Doctor Stephen Strange > Peter Parker ]**

Doctor Stephen Strange - Hello, I am Doctor Strange. I heard from Tony you were having an unusual problem with your powers. He gave me your phone number to try and talk with you about it.

Peter Parker - Do you know what's going on?

Doctor Stephen Strange - From what I can tell, your senses are reacting to different universes. The one I can pinpoint your senses reacting too just went through an unfortunate accident.

Peter Parker - Can you tell me? Or is it bad...

Doctor Stephen Strange - You just died protecting your friends. You seem to have felt the danger and reacted. You don't need to worry. You can always contact me if this happens again. It should go away soon.

Peter Parker - Okay...? Thanks Mr. Doctor Strange

Sticky web dude @spiderlad 

It's ok everyone false alarm. Totally worked it out no need to worry 

> Unsolved Mysteries @mjjones 

Seemed pretty serious dude you sure?

>> Guy in the chair @nedwardleeds 

Yeah, you were acting really freaked out. You good?

>>> Sticky web dude @spiderlad 

Yeah, everything's fine. Just gonna take a break for a while. See ya later everyone.


	4. Big Decision

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is mostly text messages and not tweets. Thank you if you've read this far! I'm going to try to keep going since people seem to be reading this!

**[ Tony broke into my garage > Totally Real SI Intern]**

@hkeener - you ok man?

@beter_barkour - not really

@hkeener - wanna talk about it?

@hkeener - or not

@hkeener - no pressure or anything 

@hkeener - nevermind

@beter_barkour - there's a multiverse 

@hkeener - wait... are you serious?

@beter_barkour - Tony had Dr. Strange contact me while my spidey senses were going crazy

@beter_barkour - he told me that the multiverse is real

@beter_barkour - and that my spidey senses were freaking out because me from a different universe died

@hkeener - dude that's really fucked up. are you sure you're ok, Pete?

@beter_barkour - I need to leave new york. I don't why. And I don't have anywhere to go

@hkeener - you could come stay with me 

@hkeener - I have plenty of space on my farm out here in good ol' Tennessee 

@beter_barkour - how'd I even get out there? Tony and May would never let me just get up and leave

@hkeener - I can pay for you to come out here. Then there'll be no traces you bought anything. They won't be able to track you

@beter_barkour - you know this is absolutely crazy right?

@hkeener - are you in or not?

@beter_barkour - of course I'm in

**[ May Parker > Tony Stark ]**

May Parker - Was Peter supposed to go to the tower today?

Tony Stark - No, he has decathlon practice today.

May Parker - I've been calling and texting him all day but he isn't responding! Calls go straight to voicemail. I'm worried something's happened to him. He always responds to at least let me know he's ok! 

Tony Stark - Ok, that's weird. I'll see if I can track him. I'll also talk to some people who might have answers.

May Parker - Thank you, Tony. Please find him.

Tony Stark - I will.

**[ Tony Stark > Pepper Potts ]**

Tony Stark - We have a problem, Pep

Pepper Potts - What did you do this time. Do I need to schedule a press conference?

Tony Stark - Peter's gone missing

Pepper Potts - Did you try tracking him? He had his phone, the watch you made him, and his suit.

Tony Stark - All of them are at his apartment. May said she's searched every inch of the place and he's nowhere to be found.

Pepper Potts - We should probably call the police, Tony.

Tony Stark - Someone has to have kidnapped him. What other options are there?

Pepper Potts - Have you considered he may have run away? 

Tony Stark - Why would Peter have a reason to run away? His whole life is here.

Pepper Potts - Tony, teenagers' lives are all over the place. I'm going to call the police and report Peter as a missing person. It's going to be ok. We'll find him.

Tony Stark - I trust you, Pepper. I love you.

Pepper Potts - I love you too, Tony. I'm going to go make that call now.

ABC News @ABC

Breaking News!! Youngest ever Stark Industries intern, Peter Parker, has been reporting missing to the police! What are the circumstances to this disappearance?

BBC Breaking News @BBCBreaking

Twitter presence Peter Parker has been reported missing! Will SI and his family release further information? Or will this remain a mystery to the public?

The Bugle @the_official_bugle

Is Stark Industries interns' safety really top priority!? Or does the disappearance of Peter Parker (their _youngest_ ) intern prove they don't care!? Stay tuned for more! 


	5. Arrival

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm taking this in a new direction so I hope you don't mind! I'm just doing my best

**[ Gen Z baby ]**

@mjjones - where do you think Peter is?

@nedwardleeds - I have no idea. I just hope he's okay. I knew I should have told May about his weird episode on twitter.

@bettybones - I wonder who released the story to the public. It seemed like Tony and Pepper were really upset when the stories started popping up. 

@abeybaby - What do you think actually happened tho? Do you think he was kidnapped or something? Or he just ran away? It's all so weird when you think that it's just Peter

@futurequeen - I'm sure Wakanda can spare a few resources to help find him. I want to find him just as much as you guys.

@nedwardleeds - I'm sure all help we can get would be appreciated, Shuri

Suck Not Life @catastrophecake 

Omg, I can't believe @beter_barkour has gone missing. I'm praying for his safe return! 

> Boo bitch @platoniclord

I hope he's okay and he'll come home soon!

>> Totally chill @technologyhorse

This is so sad what are we gonna do without @beter_barkour AND @spiderlad !!!!

**[ Petey Pie > Harls ]**

Petey Pie - the plane just landed. it'll probably take like 30 mins

Harls - I'm waiting in the luggage pickup area

Petey Pie - I'm really excited to meet you, Harley. This was such a crazy idea but I'm glad we went through with it 

Harls - I think you're really going to enjoy the country life. It's a lot different than the city, but it's real great when you're with people you like

Petey Pie - what's been happening in the news?

Harls - someone found out you were called in as missing and it got released in the public. Tony and Pepper seem really really unhappy about it

Petey Pie - I just got off the plane. I'll see you in a minute.

Harls- I'll see you soon Pete 

Petey Pie - See you soon Harls

Peter shoved his phone in his pocket as he walked away from the terminal. He was excited to finally be meeting Harley. When he'd first met the boy on twitter it had been stupidly sappy. Harley told him the absolute worst pickup line Peter had ever heard. It was some stupid science line about molecules. Peter had ended up blushing so hard at it that Ned had thought he was going to pass out. The two boys had become friends quicker than Peter'd like to admit. The first time they'd actually talked on the phone Peter made an absolute fool of himself because he was so surprised by how incredible Harley's voice was. Peter fell hopelessly from there. 

"Peter!" 

Peter looked up quickly, and smiled when he spotted the curly haired teen running towards him.

"Harley!" He called back, running forward to meet the older boy. Peter stopped in front of Harley and smiled up at him, a faint blush painting his cheeks.

"Hi," Harley breathed out. 

"Hi yourself," Peter replied, smiling from ear to ear.

"You're even cuter in person, Petey," Harley said, pushing a curl away from Peter's forehead. "Pictures really don't do you justice."

Peter giggled at that and ducked away from Harley's hand on his face. Peter's faint blush was steadily growing and his face was a deep red at this point. Harley didn't fail to notice this and chuckled at the flustered boy in front of him.

"Let's get my bags now," Peter said, walking away quickly. "It's probably best I don't hang around in such a public place. Especially since I've been reported as a missing person."

Peter reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of sunglasses. He slipped them onto his face and walked next to Harley towards the baggage claim for his flight. They waited a couple minutes and grabbed his bag, quickly walking towards the parking garage. People were starting to stare at them and whisper. Harley had noticed Peter getting increasingly nervous, and grabbed his hand, leaning down to whisper in his ear.

"Don't worry," Harley whispered, "we're almost out of here. My farm is pretty remote. There's not many people in Rose Hill, Tennessee. I only live with my younger sister, and she promised not to tell anyone that you're staying with us for a while."

"Thank you so much, Harley," Peter said, looking up at him. "I don't know why I needed this, but I really did. I'm really happy to be here with you. Thank you for being so understanding."

"U-uh," Harley stuttered, it now being his turn to blush deeply, "you're welcome, Pete. It's the least I could do. You're my best friend."

Peter smiled brightly and squeezed Harley's hand. This was okay. Everything was going to be okay. What could go wrong? 


	6. Family Pain

**Three Weeks After Peter's Disappearance**

Tony wanted to pull his hair out. Peter had been missing for three weeks, and no one had any clue where he was. It felt like the whole world was searching for the boy. They got hundreds of calls every day claiming so and so saw Peter in some random place which always lead to nothing. Peter had fallen off the face of the earth. Nobody knew if he was even alive. 

"What do you think he's doing right now?" Wanda asked over dinner one night. All the avengers were living in the tower again, and tried to remain normal among the depression of losing their youngest.

"I think," Natasha started, pausing for a second, "that he's probably happy, and having the time of his life."

"And why do you think that?" Tony snapped, anger bubbling under his skin.

"Because why think of the worst?" Nat shot back. "Why think about all the bad things that could be happening and instead try to be at least a _little_ optimistic? It's the least we can do for _Peter!_ "

Tony glared daggers in her direction, her glaring straight back at him. Everything seemed to start falling apart the second Peter disappeared. The team needed the lively child. He was always bouncing around, a smile on his face, innocence radiating in beams off of his small frame. Tony just wanted his baby boy back.

Pepper sighed and stood up, putting a comforting hand on Tony's shoulder. 

"Why don't we go lay down for a bit?" She offered. 

Tony let out a tired sigh and grabbed his fiancée's hand. Maybe he did need to lay down. He'd spent considerable amounts of hours worrying over Peter. Searching and searching until he couldn't stay awake no matter how much caffeine he consumed. 

He couldn't help but place the blame on himself. Peter had had that strange spidey sense episode on twitter and all he'd done was ask a _wizard_ to talk to _his_ kid. He hadn't even tried to comfort Peter. It had obviously shaken the poor boy. He'd decided to give up his persona's Twitter for a while because of it.

"I can practically hear your thoughts, Tony," Pepper chided, "and I know you're blaming yourself. It's no fair to do that when we don't even know what happened in the first place."

"I thought we'd just collectively agreed he ran away," Tony mumbles, not willing to participate in the conversation.

Pepper crawled into bed next to Tony and gently rubbed her hand over his back. She wrapped and arm around him and sighed, pulling him close. She'd been through many of Tony's breakdowns, and expects many things from them. But what she wasn't expecting was the heart wrenching sob that clawed itself out of Tony's throat.

He shook violently as sobs wracked his body. Peter was gone. What if he was never coming back? Tony couldn't handle if his child never came back to him. Even if his baby was delivered to him dead, it would be better than knowing nothing at all. He'd never felt such pain at the loss of anyone before. Not friends or his parents. People he couldn't save. He'd lost his child and he had no idea if he was ever going to come back to him.

**Five Weeks After Peter's Disappearance**

Peter hummed lightly as he walked around Harley's farmhouse kitchen. It was early in the morning, and Peter had woken up before Harley and Abbie for once. Usually he was the last one awake, and never got to help make breakfast. So he'd decided to take this opportunity and cook for his newly found family.

"I never thought I'd see the light of day where you cooked for me," Harley said into Peter's ear, wrapping his arms around his waist.

"I just wanted to show off my mad cooking skills, Harls," Peter stated, twisting in his boyfriend's arms to look up at him. "I keep telling you I'm a good cook. But you never let me show you."

"Mm, because I like taking care of you," Harley replied, pecking Peter's lips, "and you deserve to be taken care of."

Peter giggled and wrapped his arms around Harley's neck. Harley was looking down at him with such adoration that Peter hid his face against his chest. Peter could live like this for the rest of his life... if only he wasn't a missing person.

"I should finish breakfast," Peter whispered, pulling away from Harley.

"Whoa, hey," Harley implored, "what happened? You were so happy just a second ago. Are you alright?"

"It's just," Peter began softly, searching for the right words, "all of this is so perfect."

"Okay," Harley cautioned, "and that's a good thing...? Right?"

"It would be," Peter said, "except for the fact I'm a missing person and the whole world is searching for me. I don't want this to end. But when I'm found, it probably will."

"Baby, nothing can end this," Harley protested. "I already finished my senior year. I'll go wherever you go, doll. I'll be right beside you. I understand if you want to stay under the radar longer, but being found won't separate us."

"Promise?" Peter sniffled, resting his forehead against Harley's.

"I promise, Peter," Harley cooed, holding Peter tightly.

**Nine Weeks After Peter's Disappearance**

"Hello?" Rhodey said into the phone.

"Hi, my name's Becky," a southern voice said into the line, "and I think I know where Peter Parker is."

"Do you?" Rhodey asked, his hopes low, as he pulled a small notepad out. "Can I get your story and location?"

"Um, yeah, yeah," Becky said quickly. "I live in Rose Hill, Tennessee. I was at the grocery store with my little sister, and there were these two boys in an isle together. One of them was a kid I grew up with. I don't know his name because I wasn't allowed to play with him. He was always openly gay and my parents hated that. Anyways, he was with this other boy and I recognized him from all of the missing person reports. So, I thought I'd call."

"Well, Becky, thank you for calling," Rhodey replied. "This actually seems like a helpful tip."

"Of course!" Becky chirped. "Anything I can do to help. Bye now!" 

And with that she hung up. Rhodey looked at the town name again and sighed. How could they be such big idiots? The answer was right in front of them the whole time.

"Hey Tones," Rhodey started, sitting next to his friend. "I have some exciting news."

"What could possibly be exciting?" Tony asked, taking a swig of whatever soda he was drinking.

"I think I just found Peter," Rhodey said, smiling at the way Tony snapped his head around to look at him, eyes wide and full of hope.

"Really?" Tony squeaked. "You mean it?"

"I got a call with a very interesting location," Rhodey stated. "Rose Hill, Tennessee."


	7. Complicated Life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter and possibly the next one are going to flashbacks of while Peter was in Tennessee. and will mainly focus on Peter and Harley's growing relationship. There will be some parts focusing on the avengers. Maybe in a different chapter I'll focus on Peter's friend if that sounds interesting.

**[ One Week in - Tennessee ]**

"What're you doing, Pete?" Harley asked, laying down in the grass next to him. 

"I'm just relaxing," Peter said, "and enjoying the quiet. It's wonderful out here, Harls. I really like only seeing limited people. It's really nice that there aren't buildings everywhere. I just love it so much."

Harley's heart swelled at the kind words. Peter had spent the majority of his first week of staying with Harley outside. He would walk around the forest, lay in the field, or help tend to the animals. Harley liked to watch Peter enjoying himself. Peter had been so stressed the first day he had come to stay in Tennessee, so watching him smile and laugh made Harley so happy he felt he would burst.

"That's a pretty big smile on your face, Harley," Peter remarked. "What's causing it?"

"You, of course," Harley replied. "You make me so happy, Pete."

Peter's cheeks were bright red when he rolled onto his side to face Harley. Both of them were sporting goofy smiles as they looked at each other. Peter reached his hands out and brushed a piece of hair behind Harley's ear. His fingers lingering on Harley's cheek as he stared at the slightly older boy. Peter brushed a finger gently against his cheek, and traced his thumb down Harley's jaw. He then rested his hand on the side of his friend's face and smiled lightly.

"You're so beautiful," Peter whispered, "and so kind."

"You're incredible, Pete," Harley said back. "You're the sweetest, most empathetic person I've ever met. I love that you're here with me."

Peter and Harley were both blushing deep red, and had moved slightly closer to each other. Peter looked down slightly at Harley's lips and shuddered. Harley had seemed to notice, and gently grabbed Peter's chin. 

"Hey guys!" Harley's little sister, Abbie, called out. "Lunch is ready!"

The two boys pulled away from each other as they sat up. Harley offered a hand as he stood up, and offered his hand to Peter, who grabbed it. Harley pulled the shorter boy up and smiled at him, squeezing his hand. The two boys, hand in hand, walked back to the house for lunch. 

**[ Two Weeks in - New York ]**

Pepper rubbed May's back gently as the woman cried. May had been spending more time with the Stark's after Peter had disappeared. Pepper and Tony had offered her an apartment in the tower so she didn't have to feel so alone in Peter's and her's apartment. She had initially refused, but after a week and a half May had accepted and moved into the floor just below Pepper's and Tony's penthouse suite. They had made sure there weren't things in the apartment that would remind May of Peter, and that she always felt comfortable. It never seemed to work, though.

"I j-just feel like such a-a failure!" May sobbed into her hands. "I-I don't understand why he would r-run away. I thought I was d-doing a good job taking c-care of him. What did I do w-wrong?"

"Oh, May," Pepper said, pulling the older woman into her arms. "Everything is going to be okay. You didn't do anything wrong. We don't even know that he ran away. Besides, even if he did, I'm sure he had a reason for it. We all know he loves you to death. You've raised him since he was a little boy. You've done wonderfully, too. Peter is the sweetest boy I've ever met."

May just seemed to sob harder at Pepper's attempt at comfort. The situation was definitely worthy of the tears, and Pepper couldn't seem to help the tears that slipped out of her eyes as she held May Parker in her arms. If they spent hours crying over Peter together, well, no one needed to know that. 

Tony was definitely drunk. After the first week Peter had gone missing, he'd turned to alcohol. He couldn't help but feel like a failure in his own way. He'd taken so many cautions to make sure he'd always be able to track Peter if he went missing. It seemed like Peter had figured out every single device Tony had stuck a tracker in and left them behind. He had taken his old crappy phone with him, one of the few things Tony hadn't been able to track. Peter was too smart to leave clues behind if he really didn't want to be found. 

"Tones," Rhodey said, grabbing the glass of whiskey out of his hand, "I think it's about time you stopped trying to drink your problems away. We're going to find Peter. There's no point wasting yourself away with alcohol. Do you want to be drunk off your ass when we find Peter?"

"Don't you mean _if_ we find Peter?" Tony muttered back. "We don't know we're going to find him."

"Stop being such a Debbie Downer, Tones," Rhodey remarked. "We need to stay optimistic. For Peter. We all know he wouldn't want us moping around over him. So at least _try_ to be good for him."

Tony sighed and rested his head in his hands. He knew Rhodey was right. Peter would definitely be unhappy if he knew Tony had started drinking again because of him. Peter would want Tony to remain calm, and to not do anything drastic. Peter had been so proud of him when he had stopped drinking, and now he'd started up again because he'd lost the boy who'd gotten him to stop in the first place. This was all just a huge mess.

"I think..." Tony said,"I'm going to lay down for a bit. Try to sober up a bit. I'll see you for dinner."

"It's going to be okay," Rhodey comforted. "We are going to find him, no matter what it takes."

**[ Three Weeks in - Tennessee ]**

Harley watched Peter from the kitchen window playing outside with his little sister. He smiled fondly at the two. Peter was always so patient with Abbie, even when she was being a difficult little brat. Peter had talked about wanting to have kids some day. He always talked about wanting at least two children. Peter loved the idea of having family breakfasts, playing games, crying on their first day of school. He had so many hopes for his future, and Harley couldn't help but want to be a part of that future. 

Harley had never really wanted kids. He didn't think he would be a good dad. He had always been scared he would end like his dad, and leave at some point. Peter had spent so much time trying to convince Harley that he would be a good dad, and that he was wonderful. Peter's main argument was always that he'd basically raised Abbie when he was still a child himself. He always talked about how wonderful Harley is with Abbie. Harley tries not to listen to Peter's argument, but the boy was certainly insistent. Harley's increasing want to be a part of Peter's future was tearing down his wall. He didn't know how Peter would feel though. Harley felt fairly confident that Peter liked him back. They'd definitely had plenty of moments together that definitely didn't have a heterosexual explanation.

"Whatcha doing, Harls?" Peter asked, snaking his arms around Harley's shoulders. "I thought you were gonna make lunch. Or did you change your mind?"

"Sorry, Petey pie," Harley replied. He turned around and pushed a piece of hair out of Peter's face. "I got lost in my own thoughts. I can start now if you'll let me go."

"Mmm," Peter hummed, moving closer to Harley and snuggling into his chest."I love you, Harley. More than a friend, you know."

"I love you too, Pete," Harley admitted, and buried his nose in Peter's curls. "I'm glad this was so easy to admit."

"I don't think we needed to," Peter said and chuckled. "But it feels really nice to say it out loud."

Harley smiled down at Peter, and looked at him happily. Peter was the one to make the first move. He leaned up on his tiptoes, and pressed his lips against Harley's. When he pulled away, he had the cutest, dorky smile on his face. Harley laughed lightly and kissed the younger boy again. Peter sighed happily and wrapped his arms tighter around Harley's neck. Harley was sporting a goofy smile now, too, and wrapped his arms around Peter's waist. He rested his forehead against Peter's, and closed his eyes.

"I'm literally going to barf," Abbie stated, walking into the kitchen. The two boys looked up at her, and Peter stuck his tongue out at her in mock annoyance. 


	8. Passing Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a continuation of the last chapter. These highlight the the nine weeks in which Peter was missing. Also, for a small warning, this chapter implies that Peter and Harley have had sex. Soo, if you're not comfortable with that, don't say I didn't warn you.

**[ Four Weeks in - New York ]**

"When do you think Peter's coming back?" MJ asked, rolling a coin around the island bar in Ned's kitchen. Ned, MJ, Betty, and Abe had all been spending more time together since Peter disappeared. They never did much. All they ever seemed to do was watch movies or build legos. They avoided pretty much everything Peter liked in an attempt to avoid reality.

"It's already been a whole month," Abe said. "He's got to be coming back soon. How long can he stay missing?"

"Peter's a smart kid," Betty offered, "so I'm sure he's okay. Maybe we shouldn't be worrying this much."

"Of _course_ we should be worrying this much!" MJ snapped at Betty. "He's one of our best friends and you want to just _not_ worry about him."

"That's not what I'm saying at all, MJ," Betty defended. "I was just saying we're spending all of out time worrying, and that maybe we should try to enjoy our summer just a little bit."

"Peter should be enjoying it with us," MJ spat, turning away from the other girl."

"Can we please not fight?" Ned practically whispered. 

"I'm sorry, Ned," Abe replied, reaching over and squeezing Ned's arm in what he hoped was a comforting manner. "We didn't mean to fight. _Right_ guys?"

"Yeah, sure," MJ muttered.

"I guess," Betty added.

Ned and Abe shared a look, and went back to building the lego set they'd bought.

Natasha dragged a hand down her face as she stared at the computer on her lap. She was the avenger who'd been taking all the tips on Peter and trying to follow them to the missing boy. None of the leads ever checked out, though. She hated the fact she couldn't find him. She was usually so good at tracking people down. Why couldn't she find just one boy? How was he evading her so well? Especially one she knew inside and out. It just didn't make sense to her. 

"Hey, Nat," Steve spoke as he walked into the living room. "Still beating yourself up over not being able to find Peter?" 

"You know me so well, " Natasha said as Steve sat on the couch next to the arm chair she was sitting in.

"You should take a break," Steve says to her. "You're pushing yourself. You spend days searching without sleep. You need to take a break, Nat. Rhodey offered to take over for a while, give you some time to cool down."

"I'm _fine,_ Steve," Natasha yawned.

"But you're not," Steve placed a hand on her shoulder, and pulled Natasha up. "Go eat something and get some sleep. I'll tell Rhodey what to do."

"Thank you, Steve," Natasha told him.

"Of course," Steve said.

**[ Five Weeks in - Tennessee ]**

Peter snuggled into the warm body next to him. He felt the deep chuckle in his boyfriend's bare chest, and Peter wrapped his arms tighter around Harley's middle. He smiled and kissed Harley's chest, while Harley kissed his head. They stayed in their position for another half hour, wrapped tightly around each other. Peter had his leg wrapped over Harley's hip, and his arms around his middle. Harley held Peter half on his chest, arms holding his back. Harley kissed the hickeys on Peter's neck lightly, laughing at how ticklish Peter was.

"I never want to get up," Peter sighed, a small smile on his kiss swollen lips. "I love you."

"I love you too, Petey," Harley mumbled into his hair. "I could be perfectly content staying right here with you, but we should get up and have breakfast. We can't leave Abbie alone all day." 

"She can take care of herself," Peter said, pulling himself on top of Harley. "We can give up a few hours of our day."

Peter kissed Harley firmly as he wrapped his arms around his neck. Harley placed one hand on Peter's cheek, the other on the small of his back, and pushed down. Peter fell on top of him with a tiny ' _oof_!' and giggled against Harley's lips. Harley smirked lightly and ran two fingers up and down Peter's spine.

"We need to get up," Harley whispered in Peter's ear, and barked out of laugh when his smaller boyfriend pouted at him. "Oh come on, it's okay, doll. We're just getting breakfast. We have all day to be together after Abbie goes into town."

Harley watched in amusement as Peter pulled on a pair of boxers and one of Harley's larger shirts. Harley stared at Peter's body lightly, noting how cute his small frame was. Especially covered in hickeys. 

"What're you lookin' at?" Peter inquired, interrupting Harley's thoughts and open-mouthed staring.

~~~~"Just my beautiful boyfriend," Harley reiterated. He snickered as Peter turned red from the neck all the way up to his ears. He sputtered out a response that Harley didn't understand and he snickered again. "You gotta speak up, darlin'."

"I-I said you're beautiful t-too," Peter stuttered out.

Harley finally stood up out of bed and walked over to his now clothed boyfriend. He wrapped his longer arms around Peter and kissed the top of his head. He swayed slightly with Peter, and hummed lightly against his head. Harley lifted his head and looked down into Peter's eyes and said, "I could stay with you here forever. Living on a quiet farm, waking up whenever we feel like. I love this so much."

"I love it too, Harley," Peter whispered, and kissed Harley lightly, then leaning his head back against his boyfriends chest. "Now get dressed and lets make breakfast since you forced me to get up."

Harley laughed and kissed his boyfriend again before releasing him to find some clothes to put on.

**[ Six Weeks In- New York ]**

Bruce tapped lightly at the keyboard on his desk, looking through some of his old research reports. He was pulling research out to help support a few theories he had been trying to prove to Tony. Lightly arguing with the older man seemed to help distract him from Peter. It wasn't the best way, but Pepper said anything that kept him from spiraling into old habits was worth trying. So Bruce tried to start as many light arguments with Tony whenever he could. Trying to make them last longer and longer each time.

"What are you doing?" Thor asked, appearing behind Bruce. For someone so large he could be very quiet, Bruce noted.

"Just doing some research to prove something Tony said wrong," Bruce told Thor. "What are you up too?"

"I was just looking for Loki," Thor started. "He seems to have disappeared once again."

"I don't think we need to worry, Thor," Bruce noted, grabbing Thor's hand. "He's been on earth for how long now? Almost two and a half months. I don't think he's going to do anything at this point."

"I know..." Thor muttered, "but I still worry. What if he _does_ do something? He'll go to human prison, but they won't have the means to contain him. I just don't want anything bad to happen to my brother. I love him, and I want to trust him. I just can't help but worry. He's betrayed me so many times."

"And that's normal, Thor," Bruce said in an attempt to comfort his boyfriend. "I know how much you love him. I also know how much you want to trust him. But it's hard because he has betrayed you many times throughout your life. It's okay to feel this way. I can bet you Loki knows all of this too."

"Right, I do," Loki decided to speak up at that moment. "Don't worry, I only heard the last part of your conversation. I promise I wasn't eavesdropping."

"It's nice to see you again, Loki," Bruce spoke up in the sudden silence. "Where have you been?"

"Just thought I'd look around the planet a bit," Loki drawled. "I was just stopping by on my way back from Morocco."

"You went to Morocco?" Bruce questioned. "How was it?"

"It was pleasant," Loki answered, picking at his nail. "Way to hot for my comfort, though."

"Brother?" Thor mumbled. "May I ask you a question?"

"You just did," Loki said, then stopped for a second before speaking again. "Go ahead."

"Why did you attack New York?" Thor practically whispered.

"To be 100% honest with you, I don't know," Loki says as he looks down at his feet. Bruce and Thor exchange a look before Loki continues. "I don't remember it at all. What I do remember, though, is before and after. I remember being in space. Then feeling like I blacked out. The next thing I knew I was in chains in Asgard facing the counsel."

"Why do you think you don't remember?" Bruce asked, leaning forward on his stool.

"Why even bother telling anyone?" Loki growled. "It's not like anyone would believe me."

"Humor us," Bruce supported. "We'll try our absolute best to believe you. I promise."

Thor nodded vigorously, and Loki rolled his eyes. He bit his lower lip lightly, and closed his eyes. He looked was he was seriously debating on whether or not he was going to tell the two other men his thoughts. He seemed to finally make a decision, and let out a long, exasperated sigh.

"I think I may have been mind-controlled," Loki states.

"That actually seems completely plausible, brother," Thor says.

"You really think so?" Loki asks, genuine surprise on his face. 

"Really," Bruce finishes for Thor. 


	9. Short on Options

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These are the last three weeks leading up to when Peter gets found. Peter and Harley are typical teens. Peter's spider senses give him a pretty painful episode sooo that happens. Enjoy!

**[ Seven Weeks in - Tennessee ]**

"What's on your mind, baby? Harley asked, pressing a kiss behind Peter's ear.

"Nothing good really," Peter said as he leaned into Harley's touch. "I keep worrying about when I'll be found. I just feel like Tony is going to be so mad at you he won't let you see me anymore. He'll make you stay here and I'll never get to see you again. I can't lose you. I can't lose this, Harls. I just couldn't handle it." 

"Oh, doll," Harley says, "it's going to be okay, my love."

Peter crawled on top of Harley and looked down at him. His arms on either side of Harley's head, supporting his body. Harley smiled up at his boyfriend, and leaned his head up to kiss Peter. The younger boy leaned into the kiss, quickly becoming pliant in Harley's arms. Harley smiled into Peter's lips and grabbed his arms, effectively rolling them over so Harley was on top. He smirked down at Peter and pushed his chin up so he could bite at Peter's neck. When Harley was satisfied at the deep purple bruise on Peter's neck he smirked and rolled off of his boyfriend.

"That's it?" Peter whined. "What if _I_ want more than that, Harls?"

"Oh well," Harley teased, nuzzling his neck. "That's all you get. Abbie's home _and_ awake. Do you really want to taint her innocent mind, Pete?"

"You cut that out," Peter chided. "She's seen all my hickeys before. She knows at least something is going on between us."

"La la la la!!" Harley yelled, covering his ears. "Let me just believe my baby sister is innocent!"

Peter laughed and tried to roll back on top of Harley, but he pushed him back down. Peter whined at that and pulled Harley towards him, using his super strength to get as close to Harley as he could. He bit Harley's neck lightly, smirking a little when Harley groaned. Peter smiled up at Harley, putting on his most innocent face, and batting his eyelashes a few times.

"It's not gonna work, baby," Harley said, kissing Peter's forehead. He pushed himself up and got off the bed, walking towards the bathroom. He rolled his eyes when Peter whistled at him. 

"They say Captain America looks great but look at _you_ ," Peter called after him, laughing when Harley slammed the bathroom door on him. 

Harley sighed in content as his boyfriend snuggled further into his lap. The two were up later than usual, and had started a fire in the living room fireplace. They wanted to just enjoy a night together without Abbie being in the way. She had conveniently gone to stay at a friends house for a sleepover last minute, and Harley had happily driven her into town so he could spend a quiet night with Peter. It wasn't that they didn't enjoy Abbie being around. Both boys loved her to death, but it was nice to have alone time once in a while. It was wonderful sitting in front of a warm fire, just enjoying each others presence.

"We should do this more often," Peter said, grabbing Harley's hand and rubbing his thumb over his palm. "It's really nice just laying here with you. It's so relaxing."

"I really like this too, Pete," Harley mumbled into Peter's curls. "I've never been happier in my life than I have been with you being here."

Harley chuckled when Peter turned bright red. It was so easy to make Peter blush. Harley liked to take every opportunity to be as honest and sappy as possible with Peter. The more honest he was the harder Peter would blush, and Harley lived and breathed for when Peter would turn a deep red and start to stutter over his words. Harley would just kiss Peter and hold him tightly. Harley never wanted anyone else to touch Peter. All he wanted to do was protect Peter. He knew Peter was easily capable of protecting himself. He was Spider-Man for fucks sake! He had super strength. But Harley couldn't help but feel responsible for the smaller boy in his lap. He loved him to death, and wanted nothing more than to hold him tight. 

"Harls?" Peter questioned as Harley's arms unconsciously tightened around his waist. "Are you okay?"

"I'm perfect, Petey," Harley whispered into his hair.

**[ Eight Weeks in - New York ]**

"I'm not going to lie," Sam started, "I actually miss the little punk. It's just not the same around here without him."

"Yes, he is a very sweet boy," Wanda said, her eyes watery. "I hope this ends soon. We all miss him so much."

"Do you _really_ think he's okay?" Natasha murmured. "It's been so long. Two whole months without a single trace he's even alive. It's scary how much he's completely disappeared from the face of the earth."

"All we can do is hope he's okay," Wanda says, squeezing Natasha's knee.

The trio sat quietly after that, not really wanting to talk about Peter anymore. They all missed the boy so much, and all of them were running short on coping options. They had all taken to just moping around, not really doing anything. Most of them spent time training. Beating punching bags and running on treadmills until they collapsed. At least no one had taken to drinking. They'd all seemed to avoid alcohol. Except for maybe Tony in the very beginning. But Rhodey had somehow convinced Tony to switch to soda instead. It wasn't the healthiest option, but at least he wasn't constantly drunk off his ass. 

**[ Nine Weeks in - Tennessee ]**

Peter gripped the kitchen counter so tightly his knuckles turned white, and he had to pry his fingers open so he wouldn't break the granite. He forced a few deep breaths in and out, and ran a hand through his hair and down his face. His spidey senses had been going so crazy he had woken up around 3.30am. Peter'd gone downstairs to get some water in an attempt to calm down, but he just seemed to feel more and more off. His senses hadn't gone crazy since an alternate reality version of himself had died. So what was causing this? What was making his body go so crazy he'd woken up literally vibrating with fear?

"Peter, are you okay?" Peter spun around in shock, heart racing as he spotted Abbie standing in the kitchen doorway.

"Uh, yeah, yeah," Peter told her, placing a hand on his chest, "I was just getting some water. At... 4am. You know, completely normal thing to do."

"Well, I don't think you're okay," Abbie stated as she grabbed a glass out of the drying rack. "You look pretty freaked out. Plus you're literally vibrating. Now, I'm not an expert on teenagers, but I'm pretty positive that isn't normal."

"It's just my spidey senses," Peter confessed. "They're going absolutely crazy. I can't really figure out what's going on. It's really, really bothering me. It kinda hurts too."

"Do you want some Advil?" Abbie asked hesitantly.

"I don't think that'll help," Peter chuckled, "but thank you."

Abbie sat down at the small kitchen table and patted the seat next to her. Peter smiled and came to sit next to her with his own glass of water. He rested his head on his folded arms and traced his finger around the rim of his glass. He sighed and closed his eyes, trying to ignore the pain in his core. He felt Abbie place her hand on his back and start to rub gentle circles on his back. Peter couldn't help but let out a small sob, and covered his mouth with one of his hands. Abbie pulled him into hug and gently shushed and cooed at him in the most comforting way she could. She had always been proud to say she was good at comforting people, but nothing she did seemed to calm Peter down. He continued to sob into her shoulder, shaking like a leaf.

Tony paced back and forth in his private jet's isle. Tony, May, Pepper, Rhodey, and Happy were all on the around 4 hour flight to Tennessee. As soon as Rhodey had told him a woman saw Peter in Rose Hill he'd immediately called for Happy to get a jet ready, even though it was three in the morning. He'd gotten all the people together he thought should see Peter and they'd rushed onto the jet, taking off within a half hour. Tony had never been on a flight that felt longer in his life. He just wanted to hold his baby in his arms again. He'd been so desperate to see Peter again the past weeks. He felt a mixture of excitement and anger, each one fighting for control of his mind. Excitement for the fact he would see Peter again, and that he was safe. Anger that he'd been right under their noses this whole time, and that he hadn't even bothered to let everyone know he was okay. Let alone alive! Did Peter even know how panicked and upset everyone had been when he had turned up missing? Surely Peter had thought about what consequences his actions would have. The more Tony thought about it, though, it made sense Peter wouldn't think about how his decisions would effect his friends and family. 

"We're landing now," Happy called from the front of the plane. "There's a car waiting at the airport to take us to Harley's farm. So we'll be able to leave right away once we land.

"Oh, thank god," May whispered, lifting her head out of her hands.

As soon as Happy gave the okay, all the adults rushed out of the jet, practically sprinting towards the car waiting for them. They were all beyond anxious to get to the farm where their child was. Everyone wanted to just wrap him in their arms and squeeze Peter as tightly as they could. The group of adults had been in such a rush to get out to Tennessee they hadn't told any of the other avengers they were leaving to get Peter. Tony knew all the other avengers would have wanted to come with them to see Peter. Pepper had pointed out that that might freak Peter out. So they'd ultimately decided to just leave their friends asleep and go.

"Tony," Pepper said as she placed a hand on his shaking knee, "stop worrying so much. Everything is going to go fine. I'm sure Peter will be happy to see us."

"Are you sure about that?" Tony asked. "He ran away. Why would he run away if he wanted to be around us?"

"At least try to relax, Tones," Rhodey tells him. "You don't wanna freak Peter out do you?"

Tony sighs and leans against Pepper's shoulder, dreading the hour long drive to Rose Hill.

Peter cried out as a particularly violent shudder wracked his body. Harley patted his back gently, hating how helpless he was in this situation. Peter's senses had been freaking out since 3am, and now it was nearly 5am. Abbie hadn't come to get him until around 4.30am because Peter had asked her not to. Peter had told Harley he didn't want to freak him out, so he didn't say anything. Harley had assured Peter many times that he wanted to know everything. Harley wanted to be there for all of Peter's highs and lows. Harley had told Peter he didn't matter what happened, he just wanted to support and love Peter. The younger boy had giggled at that between a shudder and called Harley sappy.

"Is it calming down at all?" Abbie asked as she poked her head into the kitchen.

"No," Harley says, "they're getting worse, actually. I don't know what to do to be honest. I want to help him so badly but nothing I can do will help."

Abbie and Harley both cringed as Peter cried out again, and his whole body seized up. Harley would've hugged him, but he didn't want to constrict the younger boy's body as he convulsed. Abbie watched Peter with tears in her eyes. She hated seeing him suffering so much. It wasn't fair that such a nice person was suffering so much. Peter had come to Tennessee to get away from the stress and suffering of New York, and now here he was, stressed and crying and in pain. Abbie couldn't stand to look at him anymore, and turned here head away. She flinched when Harley placed his hand on her back, but quickly relaxed. 

"Why is this happening?" Abbie whispered. "Pete told me this has never happened before. He said that the most violent one he's ever had was when an alternate him died, and that this one was ten times worse than that! Plus it's gotten worse since he said that. I'm scared Harley."

"I'm scared too, Abbie," Harley whispered as he pulled Abbie into his arms. "All we can do is wait and be there for him. I love Peter lots and lots. I know you love him too, and that it's scary he's going through this. It really sucks that we can't do anything, but that's just how it is sometimes."

Abbie sighed and wiggled her way out of Harley's arms, and walked out of the kitchen as Peter seized up again. She plopped down on the living room couch, and looked out the front window. She paused when she saw a car coming down the drive and called out to Harley, "Someone's here, Harls!"

Harley rushed into the living room, and looked out the window. Abbie watched her tense, older brother visibly relax as he took in the sight of the car. Abbie walked beside him as he walked towards the front door, and hid behind him as he opened the it.

"Who is it?" Abbie asked.

"It's Tony," Harley told her. "I guess they found Peter. Can you go check on him for me? I want to talk to them for a minute."

Abbie nodded and ran towards the kitchen, leaving Harley on the porch. He squared his shoulders and walked down the front porch steps, walking forward a bit to meet the car. When Tony stepped out of the car, he was absolutely fuming, and Harley unconsciously took a step back. He'd gotten into his fair share of fights with Tony due to his snarky personality, but he'd never seen Tony this visibly angry at anyone before. It was startling to say the least. 

"Hey, Tony," Harley said, trying to sound casual. "How're you doing?"

"Where's Peter," Tony states, staring at Harley. "What happened? What's going on?"

"Listen," Harley started, "he's not in the best condition right now. So please try not to be angry when you see him."

"What's wrong with him?" A woman who Harley assumed was his aunt said, rushing forward to address Harley. "What happened to my nephew?"

"It's just his spider senses," Harley reassured. "They've been going crazy since about 3am. To be honest, it's gotten pretty violent. It's just been getting worse and worse. My sister, Abbie, and me have been doing our best to comfort him. There's nothing we can do really."

Harley had started to lead the group into the house as he talked, very lightly explaining the situation. They were walking quietly when Abbie cried out, and a loud thump was heard from the kitchen. The group paused, and Harley and Tony rushed into the kitchen, where Peter the curled into the fetal position, shaking violently and sobbing. Harley rushed over to him and gently placed one hand on Peter's hip, the other supporting his head. He moved Peter's head to rest on his lap, and placed his forehead on top of Peter's head, making little cooing noises. Peter convulsed violently when Tony took a step forward and let out an ungodly shriek. Harley's eyes widened as he suddenly connected the dots.

"Tony," Harley says carefully, "I think his spidey senses are reacting to you. He's been dreading the day you guys would figure out where he is. He's scared you're all going to hate him, and no matter how much I try to convince him you won't he can't seem to get it out of his head. I think all of you being here is what caused his senses to react. What time did you find out where he was?"

"I found out around 3.30am," Rhodey piped up. "I told Tony and we all got on a jet headed out here."

"Peter told me he woke up at 3.30," Abbie added from across the kitchen. "I sat with him for a while before it got super bad and then I went to get Harley. He knows how to calm Peter down a lot better than me."

"Can I try to sit with him?" Pepper asked quietly.

"Yeah, sure," Harley asked, carefully moving away from Peter.

As Pepper walked towards him, his shaking didn't get worse, but it didn't get any better. Pepper kneeled down next to the boy, and placed a careful hand on his cheek, which Peter leaned into. She wrapped an arm around the boy and gently pulled Peter into her arms. She kissed his forehead and rocked him gently. Peter seemed to visibly relax as Pepper held him and whispered in his ear. She was trying to reassure the boy that no one was angry at him, and that he was safe, which seemed to calm Peter's shaking almost entirely. Peter had his arms wrapped around Pepper with his face buried in her neck. He peeked up from his place in her lap and cried out when he saw Tony, reaching a hand out towards him. 

Tony rushed over at the noise and crouched down next to Pepper, running his fingers through Peter's hair, being careful not to pull any tangles. Peter pulled Tony into the hug he was receiving and sighed in content. Tony felt honored that Peter had wanted him and Pepper first, but couldn't help but feel guilty that May hadn't gotten to be with her nephew yet. Tony stood up and stepped away from Peter, frowning at Peter's unhappy cry. Tony wanted nothing more than to pull Peter into his arms and not let anyone else touch him, but Tony knew it wasn't his right to hold onto Peter like that. Tony turned and motioned for May to come over, and he tried to gently pry Peter out of Pepper's arms.

As soon as May sat on the floor Peter latched himself onto her, a small sob leaving his mouth. May wrapped her arms tightly around her nephew. She kissed her forehead and rested her cheek on top of Peter's head. He sighed at her touch and a small smile graced his face. He opened his eyes slightly and looked at the group in the room. He closed his eyes again and pushed away the immense guilt plaguing his mind. They weren't mad at him. They all still loved him. It was okay. Everything was going to be okay. He had his whole family back. They could figure something out.


	10. Reunions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Peter goes home!

Peter slept quietly, stretched out across Harley's chest. The group of adults and three children were on their way back to New York after about an hour of Peter being handed around on the kitchen floor. All the adults had spent their time hugging the boy, and checking him over to make sure he was physically okay. Tony had been the most unhappy out of all the adults to discover the hickeys littering Peter's neck. The man's head had shot up and he had glared daggers at Harley, who had chuckled uncomfortably and rubbed the back of his neck at the stare. When Tony had looked back down at Peter a deep blush at settled across his face, and he had started staring a spot on the kitchen tile to death. 

By the time they'd made it to the plane, Peter was pretty much dead on his feet. He'd spent much of the early morning awake and inunignorable pain. Harley had pulled Peter over to a quiet corner of the jet and pulled the smaller boy onto his lap, much to Tony's distress. The two boys were wrapped completely around one another, laid out across a bench seat. Peter was breathing slowly, arms wrapped tightly around Harley's neck. Harley's eyes were closed, but one hand in Peter's hair was running through his tangled curls, the other rubbing up and down the small of Peter's back. Harley kissed Peter's forehead, and smiled lightly holding the boy even tighter.

"They're in love, you know," Abbie whispered into Pepper's ear about an hour into the flight. "I think they were in love with each other before they even realized it. The first couple of weeks Peter was here they acted like a couple who didn't know they were a couple. They were always really close to each other all the time. They were always holding hands, sitting next to or on each other, staring into each other's eyes. Don't even get me started on the amount of times they almost kissed! It was kinda annoying to be honest."

"I'm glad they found each other," Pepper replied, "because Peter seems very happy being with Harley. I wouldn't have this conversation with Tony, though. He doesn't seem very happy about it honestly."

"Why do you think that, Ms. Potts?" Abbie looked up at Pepper with wonder in her eyes. Pepper noted how cute of a child the little girl was.

"You can call me Pepper," She said and pushed a piece of hair behind Abbie's ear, which elicited a giggle. "I think... Tony doesn't like it because he hates seeing them grown up. As you probably know, Tony met Harley when he was only ten or eleven. He's kept up with Harley throughout all these years, and within those years he met Peter. Peter was only fourteen when they met, so Pete was still pretty little. I'll show you a picture of when Pete was little. He was very cute. Anyways, Tony watched these two grow up at different points, so it's probably weird to see the two people he still views as children all grown up and dating."

"That makes sense," Abbie said thoughtfully, placing a finger on her chin.

Pepper felt her heart swell at Abbie's innocence, and had to take a step back. Why did she feel like this all of a sudden? She barely knew Abbie, and the only other child she feels this way about is Peter. Maybe she was adopting more children into her life. She already felt like Peter was her own child. Why not add Abbie to that list?

"Hey, Pep," Tony interrupted, sitting down next to his fiancée. "What're are you doing. Hi, by the way, Abbie."

"I was just talking with Abbie," Pepper rested her head on Tony's shoulder. "How far are we from New York?"

"We'll be there in about two and a half hours," Tony told her. "What do you think about Harley and Peter? You know, being together?"

"I think," Pepper started slowly, "that they're very happy together. Peter really loves Harley. We already knew they were at least internet friends because Peter was always talking about him. It makes sense to me that they would eventually fall in love. To be honest with you, Harley and Peter have both separately asked me for advice on each other."

Tony sighed deeply at Pepper's words, and twiddled his thumbs a few times. He kept having to remind himself that it didn't matter what he thought. What _did_ matter was that Peter and Harley were happy together. That was all Tony had wanted for the two boys. To be happy, and now they were. So why couldn't he be happy for them? All he felt was a sense of bitterness. To be frank, he just didn't want them to grow up. Tony thought the fact that bothered him most was the fact that the two teenagers were having sex. He knew it shouldn't bother him considering his own past, but Peter was basically his child. Tony felt like he was responsible for Peter, so the fact that he'd firstly lost his child, then found out he was having sex at 16, felt like a low blow to his parenting skills. 

Steve wiped the sweat off his forehead as he exited the elevator to the avengers common floor. Sam and Steve had just finished their morning jog, and had come back to start breakfast for everyone. Sam had gone off to shower, and Steve joined Nat in the kitchen. When he entered she had been grabbing eggs and bacon out of the fridge. 

"What are we making this fine morning?" Steve asked, leaning against the kitchen island as Nat pulled out more food. 

"Omelets, bacon, sausage, waffles, and smoothies," Nat answered, turning around to face Steve. "Except I don't know how much we'll actually need considering five of us and a jet are missing."

"What, who?" Steve questioned Nat, suddenly alert.

"I don't know," She replied. "I tried to contact them but no one answered. Apparently they left at around four am. Oh, also, the people who left are Tony, Pepper, May, Happy, and Rhodey. I looked around and that's everyone who was gone."

"I wonder what happened," Steve stopped suddenly, his eyes widening. "Do you think they found Peter?"

"Oh!" Nat exclaimed. "That would make sense for why they left so suddenly. But you would think they would tell us first. Would they?"

"Maybe," Steve muttered. "Those seem like all of people who _would_ go and be with Peter first. It makes sense they wouldn't tell us if they were in a rush."

Natasha nodded at her friend's words, and turned back to the food she'd left on the counter. She turned on the stove and Steve moved around the counter to help Natasha prepare the food. Hopefully their friends would return home soon. Maybe even with Peter! It would be wonderful to have the 16-year-old back home. Now all they had to do was wait.

Peter grumbled unhappily when a hand shook his shoulder. He was so comfortable, and still so tired. He wrapped his arms and legs tighter around the body he was on sprawled on top of. He groaned when a couple pairs of hands tried to disentangle him, and he heard a few chuckles as he squeezed his eyes shut tightly. 

"Petey, it's time to wake up," Harley chuckled as he kissed Peter's neck in a few places. "We're at the tower now. Besides, I'm sure everyone wants to see you."

"Don' wanna," Peter mumbled, pressing his face against Harley's chest. "You're comfy."

Harley chuckled again and sat up with Peter still wrapped around his torso. He grabbed Peter's legs and grunted as he stood up with the boy in his arms. Peter held onto his boyfriend tighter so he wouldn't be dropped, and nuzzled his face into Harley's neck. 

"I love you, Harls," Peter whispered, a content smile on his face. 

Harley chuckled and lifted Peter up a bit before walking down the isle of the plane. Tony and Pepper had been trying to help pry Peter off of him, but Harley knew from experience Peter wouldn't release him that easily. Harley had learnt early on that when Peter wanted to be attached to him, there was literally no escaping. Pete would use every ounce of his strength and stickiness so he couldn't be removed. He was lucky Harley loved him so much, because Harley always did whatever Peter wanted just to make him happy. Besides, Harley loved how affectionate Peter was. He loved to hold his small boyfriend, who was surprisingly light for his size. Peter always seemed to claim he didn't have bones, which is why he was so light. Apparently spiders didn't have bones, so Peter rolled with that. 

"I love you too, Pete," Harley replied, kissing Peter's head. "But now is the time to go see your family again."

Peter sighed and slid his feet down to the floor. He kept his arms wrapped around Harley's neck for a few more seconds before releasing him, opting to instead grab his hand. Harley squeezed his hand lightly, and pulled him out of the jet, where the majority of the avengers were anxiously waiting to see him. When Peter saw the worried looks on his extended family's faces another surge of guilt coursed through him. He'd evoked this much concern? He looked down at his feet as he stepped off the jet stairs, and placed himself halfway behind Harley. Peter didn't really know what to say. What did they want him to say? 

Natasha made the first move. She took long, confident strides towards Peter, and stopped in front of the boy. She smiled slightly and pulled him into a tight hug. Peter melted into her arms, and started to gently weep. The other avengers would spend the rest of the morning holding the weeping boy. They were all so glad to have him back. Weeks of worry seemed to melt away as soon as they saw the boy step out of the jet. It was invigorating knowing he was safe, and healthy. It didn't matter if any of the adults weeped along with Peter.


	11. Return to Twitter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're heading back to twitter in this chapter!

The Official Avengers @avengersofficial

We're very happy to announce that we have found Peter Parker and that he is safe with his family! We have decided we do not want to share the details of his disappearance as it is a personal matter. Please respect Peter's, his family's, and our privacy. Thank you!

> Suck Not Life @catastrophecake

OMG! I'm so glad he's okay and safe! I was so worried! 

>> And I oop- @pickledresponsibility

It's so great that he's back! I hope he's okay and nothing bad happened to him! <3

>>> Literally My Life @wormfriend

Thank you so much for finding him! I'm really glad he's okay!

>>>> no thanks @sourplant

Is he coming back to twitter anytime soon? We all miss him! 

>>>>> Unsolved Mysteries @mjjones

I'm so glad he's okay! I can't wait to see him again! 

>>>>>>Guy in the chair @nedwardleeds

I'm so happy my best friend is okay! Thanks you to the avengers for finding him!

Fool in Love @beter_barkour

Fellas is it gay to be in a relationship with another man

> lololol @veryboy

Holy shit he's back!

>> Sike binch @beesankle

Omg Peter Parker is gay! Yes he's awesome!

>>> Fool in Love @beter_barkour

@beesankle actually I'm bisexual! But thank you for commenting!

>>>> Sike binch @beesankle

OMG thanks for responding!!!!

>>>>> moonshine @moonplant

The real question is who he's dating. My money's on @hkeener!

Country Life My Dudes @hkeener

My dudes, my guys, my gals. I am a fool who is helplessly in love with Peter Parker. Don't be afraid to @ me next time

> Fool in Love @beter_barkour

@ me next time Harls. I love you! 

>> Country Life My Dudes @hkeener

I love you too Petey! Are you gonna stay holed up in your room or come out and be with me?

>>> Fool in Love @beter_barkour

I just got out of the shower, I'll be down in a minute :)

>>>> Legends only @religiousvogue

Omg you two are so cute! 

>>>>> Country Life My Dudes @hkeener

@religiousvogue thanks my dude! We are very happy together so expect lots of tweets!

Sticky web dude @spiderlad

My dudes I swing both ways! I'm a raging bisexual! 

> Natalie Rushman @blackwidow

I'm lesbian!

>> Big Green Dude @official_brucebanner

Both Thor and I are pansexual and we're in a relationship!

>>> #1 IronDad @tonystark

I am also bisexual. I love everyone 

>>>> God Bless You America @steverogers

I have been a raging homosexual since the 1930s and I have been married to my best friend @jbuckybarnes for 80+ years! 

>>>>> Winter soldier @jbuckybarnes

I've been in love with the world's biggest idiot for over 90 years. I love being homosexual. 

>>>>>> Stark Industries CEO @pepperpotts

 _Please_ let me know the next time you're all going to make such big announcements. I have so much work to do now.

Country Life My Dudes @hkeener

Y'all should've see my boyfriend out in the country. There has never been anyone more beautiful I stg @beter_barkour

> Fool in Love @beter_barkour

Aw babe! City life is suiting you beautifully too! 

>> Unsolved Mysteries @mjjones

Omg you two are way too sappy. Get off the internet

>>> Country Life My Dudes @hkeener

You're just jealous you're not in love like us @mjjones :p

>>>> Unsolved Mysteries @mjjones

I came out here to have a good time and I'm honestly feeling so attacked right now-

Buzzfeed News @buzzfeed 

Stark Intern Peter Parker has returned!! The Avengers announced that they found him and safely returned him to his family! Welcome back, @beter_barkour!!

The Official Bugle @the_official_bugle

Peter Parker returns without a scratch! Was this secretly a SI publicity stunt!? #takedownSI


	12. Destroyed Life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this chapter is really dark. I took this in a turn for the worse. Peter's been hiding his depression and suicidal tendencies for a long time and they finally escape.  
> Warnings for this chapter are: Self harm, attempted suicide, and overdosing.  
> I promise he'll get better!

Peter smiled lightly as he watched Harley's sleeping face. His boyfriend was breathing deeply, his mouth slightly open. Peter wiped a trail of drool off of Harley's chin, and poked his nose lightly. Harley scrunched up his nose at the touch, and cracked one eye open. He smiled at Peter and reached out his arms to pull Peter on top of him.

"You're awake and still in bed?" Harley asked as he wrapped his arms around Peter's back.

"I like to be with you, Harls," Peter remarked. 

"Oh, Petey," Harley whispered in his boyfriend's ear, "you're too sweet to me."

"What's wrong with that?" Peter asked.

"Absolutely nothing, Pete," Harley told him. Peter wrapped his arms around Harley's neck, and a couple of tears fell onto Harley's face as they kissed. Harley looked up at the younger boy and wiped the tears off Peter's face. The action seemed to cause Peter to cry harder, and Harley sat against the bed's headboard, pulling Peter onto his lap. Peter curled up on Harley and sniffled, wiping a few tears off his face. 

"What's going on, Peter?" Harley cooed, rubbing his hands gently up and down Peter's sides. Peter started to cry harder, and Harley held onto the boy tighter. "It's okay, Petey, you don't have to tell me. I can just hold you if you prefer."

"I j-just lo-love you so much, Harls," Peter sobbed. "I-I'm so s-s-sorry!"

"I love you so much too, Pete," Harley consoled his sobbing boyfriend. "Why are you sorry? What happened?"

Peter didn't answer Harley's question, and instead proceeded to sob harder and louder. Harley rocked the sobbing boy in his lap slowly. He murmured quietly in Peter's ear in an attempt to calm his crying, but Peter had started to shake and was beginning to gasp for breath. Harley gently released his hold on Peter. Maybe some space would calm him down, but Peter gripped tightly to his boyfriend, refusing to be let go. He whined pitifully, and clawed at Harley's back.

"Whoa, it's okay, Pete," Harley assured, pulling the boy back onto his lap. "I won't let you go. I can keep holding you. I just thought you might want a bit of space."

"I-I want you to h-hold me," Peter stuttered between sobs. "P-please don't l-leave me."

"Of course I won't, sweetheart," Harley murmured. "I'll stay right here until you're ready."

They sat on the bed for another 30 minutes before someone knocked on the bedroom door. Peter whimpered and tightened his grip on Harley, burying his face in his neck. Harley looked down at the shuddering boy and placed a hand in his hair, scratching his scalp lightly. 

"Who is it?" Harley called out to the person on the other side of the door.

"It's Pepper," the woman called out. "I was just going to tell Peter that breakfast was ready. I didn't realize you were in there too, Harley."

"Yeah, I slept in here last night," Harley called back. "We'll be out in a bit."

"Alright, see you soon," Pepper said as she walked away.

Peter hesitantly crawled out of Harley's lap and got off the bed. He pulled a shirt off the floor and pulled it on, rubbing at his tear stained face. Harley grabbed Peter's hand and led him out to the dining room, where the rest of the avengers were already chatting away. 

Pepper was the first to notice the two boys, and a look of concern crossed her face when she saw Peter's state. His hair was tangled and sticking up in every direction. Peter's face was red and blotchy from crying, and he was pressed tightly against Harley's side, gripping the taller boys hand with a strength that must have hurt.

Peter sat in the seat on Pepper's left, Harley joining them on Peter's left. Peter refused to let go of Harley's hand, and made no move to put food on his plate. Harley sighed, and started to scoop eggs and bacon onto his and Peter's plates. He leaned over to whisper something in Peter's ear, and pushed the food closer to Peter. Harley kissed Peter's forehead, and turned to eat his own food, Peter following his lead.

Pepper furrowed her eyebrows at the state of her child, and turned to look at Tony, who had also seemed to notice Peter's sour mood. He leaned closer to Pepper, and whispered in her ear, "Is Pete okay?" To which Pepper shrugged and shook her head no. 

"We shouldn't call him out at breakfast," Pepper whispered into Tony's ear. "We both know that would make him uncomfortable."

Tony nodded, and turned back to his food, glancing up at Peter every few seconds. Peter didn't seem to notice the stares he was receiving, and lightly picked at his food while Harley encouraged him to eat. They couldn't help but wonder what had triggered this. Peter had seemed quite happy since he'd come home. What was making him fall into such a sudden depression? 

As soon as breakfast was done, Peter had escaped to his room, locking even Harley out. When Pepper had asked Harley what had happened, he had shrugged his shoulder and said he didn't know. He told Pepper that Peter had woken up in a seemingly good mood, but had become upset quickly. Harley seemed just as confused as the rest of them, and was feeling quite helpless.

Peter sat in the corner of his balcony, looking down the at the bustling streets below him. He sniffed quietly, and wiped his nose. He'd been doing pretty good concealing his unexplained depression since coming home from the country. Well, he'd been hiding his depression since Uncle Ben had died. May had taken him to a therapist in the beginning, and Peter had been prescribed Duloxetine. Peter hated that medication, and had stopped taking it behind Aunt May's back after about a week. In the time he'd stopped taking his meds, he'd been able to put on a fake face and disguise his depression as stress from school and spider-manning. 

Peter figured he'd grown so used to country life that being thrown back into the city had completely overwhelmed him, which maybe triggered his depression to come back full swing. Everyone had been so happy to see him, and he had felt quite uncomfortable about all the attention. Don't get him wrong! Peter loved his family so much. He was just so used to being around and receiving attention from only Harley and Abbie daily. The two of them made him happy, and he hadn't felt depressed when he was with them at all. So coming home and suddenly being swamped with every single avenger's attention had really freaked him out.

His family had also talked so much about how worried and scared they had been, which fed the guilt he was feeling until it consumed him. Peter had convinced himself that everyone was angry at him for running away, and were just pretending to be happy he was back. He knew that this was illogical in the back of his mind, but he couldn't help but fear the worst. He hadn't voiced any of these fears to anyone. Not even Harley! He knew Harley would want to know, and was probably really worried about his outburst earlier in the morning, but Peter didn't want to burden his boyfriend with his overwhelming depression.

Peter had used to cut when he was younger, and had even attempted suicide when he got into his fight with Tony that resulted in his suit being taken away. He had sat in the bathroom of his and May's apartment, crying while she was at work. She'd offered to stay home with him that day, and when Peter asked why, she hadn't given him a straight answer. Peter knew it was probably because she was worried about this exact situation, that he would spiral into his self-deprecating depression, and do something drastic. Peter had stared at the razor blade in his fingers, and had decided in that second he didn't want to be alive anymore. He wanted to see his parents again, and maybe he'd be lucky enough to join them. 

Peter pulled his left sleeve up, staring at the faint scars on his arms as he exited his memories. He'd been itching to open the wounds again, and had even stolen a razor blade out of Tony's lab a few days earlier. Peter craved the pain that came with slashing his wrists. He bit his lower lip until it bled as he tried to decide what he wanted to do. 

Peter grabbed the razor blade resting on the floor, and held it against his skin, pressing down lightly. Peter took a deep breath, and pushed until his skin broke as he slowly dragged the razor up and down his forearm. The blood gushed down his arms, dripping onto the balcony floor and staining Peter's pants. Once Peter was satisfied with the amount of cuts on his left arm, he switched to his right, cutting deeper into his skin as he basked in the pain coursing through him. 

Peter pulled the bottle of Xanax he had in his pocket out when he was done cutting. He'd been taking the pills every night for the past week without anyone knowing, which he knew was a major setback in the depression he'd been fighting since his suicide attempt. It was an even bigger setback that he'd just slashed his arms open. He'd stolen the bottle of pills from the med bay, and had been praying nobody would notice the missing bottle. Peter had realized early on that since he was self prescribing an addictive medication there was a chance he would kill himself by taking too much. But he somehow couldn't find it in himself to care if he overdosed. The only thing he felt true regret for was Harley. This would deeply hurt his boyfriend, and it would be his fault.

"Why am I like this?" Peter whispered to himself, swallowing too many pills with a sip of water. As he swallowed the pills, he thought lightly to himself, _Might as well end this now. What's the point in living anymore?_

Peter blinked slowly, drowsiness taking over his body as the pills entered his system, and blood gushed out of his many cuts. Peter swayed slightly and laid on his side out on the concrete balcony. He didn't bother hiding the pill bottle or the bloody razor, or trying to go inside to his bed. He didn't fight to keep his eyes open, and drifted into unconsciousness. 

Harley paced back and forth in the living room, not addressing anyone else in the room. Peter had locked himself in his room a few hours ago after breakfast and no one had heard from him since. Harley, Pepper, and Tony were the most concerned as they had been the ones to notice Peter's strange mood at breakfast. The other avengers hanging around had tried to console the three people that he was probably fine, and was just having a bad morning, but it didn't sooth the trio at all.

" _Mr. Parker appears to be in extreme distress,"_ FRIDAY, Tony's A.I., spoke up. Everyone seemed to stand up at the same time, running towards Peter's room.

"What's wrong with him?" Tony snapped at the ceiling as he went to override the lock on Peter's door.

 _"Mr. Parker had overdosed on the prescription drug Xanax, and is bleeding out from many self-inflicted cuts on both forearms,"_ FRIDAY informed the group. _"He is in an extremely unstable condition."_

As Tony pried the door open, he motioned for everyone but Pepper and Harley to stay where they were. Harley was the one to spot Peter, who was unconscious and shaking violently on the balcony. Tony slammed the glass door open, and skidded next to Peter, inspecting the boy. A nearly empty bottle was being loosely held in his right hand and a bloody razor in his left. Peter's mouth was foaming, and his eyes were slightly open and rolled into the back of his head. His arms were gushing blood, that was forming a pool on the concrete.

Tony grabbed Peter under the knees and armpits, and lifted the boy, who was surprisingly light for his size. Peter's head lolled against Tony's chest, and his limbs hung loosely. Tony rushed off the balcony and ran out of Peter's room, calling for Bruce to help with Peter.

Tony tapped his foot impatiently as they took the elevator ride down to the medical bay. Peter needed help quick, or he wouldn't make it. 

When the small group made it to the med bay, Bruce instructed Tony to lay Peter down on a bed, and for everyone to step away from the boy. Bruce started by attempting to stop the bleeding of Peter's arms. He wrapped bandages tightly around Peter's arms in hopes of slowing the bleeding, and then Bruce worked on getting an IV into Peter's hand, and checked his blood pressure. Pepper, Harley, and Tony stood on the side lines, watching Peter with tear filled eyes.

"I'm going to need to pump his stomach," Bruce told them. "I'm going to try and get everything out that I can. I'm also probably going to need to stitch a few of those cuts closed. He cut pretty deep a couple of times. To me, this clearly wasn't an accident. Peter meant to cause fatal harm to himself. You can wait outside the room or stay in here. I'm warning you though, this won't be pretty."

"I want to stay with him!" Harley shouted out, but Pepper placed her hand on his shoulder and gently steered him out of the room. 

"Come on, sweetheart," Pepper murmured. "Like Bruce said, it won't be pretty. I'm sure Peter wouldn't want you to see this. We'll let Tony stay with him."

"But I want to be there for him!" Harley protested. "I'm his boyfriend... I _need_ to be there for him."

Pepper shushed the distressed teen, and led him to a few seats across the hall from Peter's door. Harley's lip was quivering, and a few tears slipped out of his eyes as he collapsed into Pepper's arms. She pulled the boy against her and rubbed his back soothingly, swaying slightly with the sobbing boy.

"I don't understand," Harley cried into Pepper's neck. "Why did he do this? I didn't even know he was depressed. Sure, I've seen his self-harm scars before, but he's always been so happy."

"Believe me, I don't understand either," Pepper comforted. "I'm sure he'll be ok-"

"Pepper!" May cried out from down the hall. She was sprinting down the hallway, still dressed in her hospital scrubs. "Where's Peter? Is he okay?"

"Why don't you sit down, May," Pepper instructed cautiously, letting go of Harley and guiding May over to a chair. Pepper sat next to the worried woman, and placed a hand on her knee. "Bruce is currently pumping Peter's stomach and stitching some pretty intense cuts closed. We left Tony with Peter because I thought he wouldn't be that squeamish. He's had his stomach pumped a fair share of times. But, Peter overdosed on Xanax, and he also cut his arms up a scary amount of times. We don't know why. He was already unconscious when we found him and we rushed him down here. We don't know how long it's been since he took the pills or cut."

May sobbed loudly as Pepper finished relaying what she knew and let her face fall into her her hands, her shoulders shaking. Pepper rubbed May's back gently as the woman shook, and Harley stood awkwardly against the wall. Wiping his owns tears away from his face, as he slid down to the floor, and pulled his knees up to his chest. 

Tony rubbed his thumb over Peter's hand as he watched the boy breath slowly. Bruce had told Tony he thought Peter should be fine, but he would probably be unconscious for a while. Tony noted that Peter looked very frail and sick as he slept. When had he gotten so thin? Tony thought at least Harley would have noticed the change in Peter. An unwelcome surge of anger coursed through Tony. _Harley could have prevented this_ , Tony's mind screamed. _No,_ Tony protested, _this isn't Harley's fault. Don't blame him for something he can't help._

Tony looked at the bandages snaking tightly around Peter's arms. Blood was spotting through the bandages from cuts that had not yet stopped bleeding, and Tony looked away from the damage. Everyone had a right to know what happened, but Tony couldn't seem to pull himself away from the frail boy. Tony just wanted to pull Peter into his arms and shield him from the world.

Tony reluctantly pulled himself out the chair beside Peter's bed and walked over to the door on the other side of the room. He shot one last glance at Peter before opening the door and stepping out into the hallway. The group of three waiting in the hallway all looked up as he closed the door, and Pepper stood up and grabbed his hands. 

"How is he?" Pepper peeped. "What's going on?"

"Bruce thinks he'll be fine," Tony cautioned. "Only about seven of his cuts needed stitches. Bruce was able to pump what seemed like the majority of the pills out of his stomach. Bruce hypothesized that his body had already digested quite a bit, so Peter'll probably be asleep for a while."

"How many cuts did he have?" Harley whispered.

"About thirty or so," Tony recalled, trying to remember exactly how many Bruce had counted. Tony could remember that there had been a disturbing amount of cuts littering Peter's thin arms. "I don't remember exactly how many Bruce said there were. It was a lot, though."

Harley nodded faintly and curled up against May's side, who tightened her grip around his shoulder. Tears were falling silently down May's face, and Harley was sniffling loudly into her side, tears falling in fast, neat lines down his face. Tony noticed Pepper was crying too, her tears flowing slightly slower than the other two. Tony had yet to cry, but he could feel the wet heat building behind his eyes. 

"I don't think he's going to be okay after this," Tony whispered as the tears finally escaped, and Pepper pulled him into her arms. 


	13. Suffering Quietly

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Peter wakes up!

Peter was floating in an empty abyss. His mind was numb, but his body was in unexplainable pain. His stomach was pulsing, his arms were throbbing, and his head was pounding. A deep ache had settled over his body, and he felt heavy all over.

A sudden noise beside Peter penetrated his cloud of blissful numbness. It sounded like a voice. But who’s was it? If someone was talking to him, it didn’t register in Peter’s mind. The words went through one ear and out the other. All Peter was able to make out that it was most likely a man.

“-eter,” The man’s voice said. “Please wake up.”

 _Wake up? Aren’t I dead?_ Peter thought idly.

“You need to wake up, sweetie,” The voice pleaded. “We miss you. We love you.”

_Someone misses me? Someone loves me?_

“I love you, Peter,” The man, _Tony_ , whispers. “Please come back to me.”

Peter tries to follow Tony’s voice. Tony is pulling him towards the light, but the black abyss of Peter’s mind was pulling him down. Peter didn’t have the strength to fight and fell back into unconsciousness.

Tony was attempting to read a book the next time Peter started to regain consciousness. Tony practically threw the book across the room in his rush to hold Peter’s hand. Peter’s face twitched, and his heart rate was starting to pick up.

“Peter?” Tony sputtered. “Can you open your eyes for me, sweetheart?”

Peter started to crack an eye open, but quickly squeezed it back shut at the lights. He whimpered and tried to lift a heavy hand to cover his eyes.

“FRIDAY, turn the lights down to fifty percent,” Tony snapped at the ceiling. “Come on buddy, try again. You can do it.”

“Daddy?” Peter whispered, glassy eyes looking at Tony’s face. It didn’t seem like Peter was aware of where he was, and Tony slid onto the hospital bed beside Peter, pulling the frail boy into his arms.

“Hi, baby boy,” Tony cooed. “I’m here, daddy’s here. You’re okay, you’re safe, you’re _alive_.”

“M’ still alive?” Peter slurred. “I don’ wanna be alive.”

“We’re not going to let you die baby boy,” Tony consoled. “We love you too much to let you go.”

“I want mama,” Peter sniffled, burying his head in Tony’s neck.

“I’ll call May the- “

“No!” Peter cried. “I want _mama_ , not May!”

“ _Oh_ ,” Tony whispered, “I understand. FRIDAY, call Pepper and tell her that Peter’s awake and requesting her.”

“ _I will alert Ms. Potts of the situation, Boss,_ ” FRIDAY chirped.

Not even two minutes later Pepper burst into the room. Her hair was sticking up in several directions, and she was panting. She must have run down here as soon as FRIDAY spoke to her.

“ _Mama!_ ” Peter cried pitifully, reaching his arms out to Pepper.

She reacted immediately, sliding into the bed on Peter’s other side and pulling the crying boy into her arms. He sniffled and wrapped an arm around her middle, snuggling his face into her chest. His arm not wrapped around Pepper was holding Tony in a death grip, and Tony wrapped his arms around his fiancée and son. He held the two tightly and rested his head on top of Peter’s, relishing in the fact that his son was alive and safe in his arms.

“Mama’s here, Pete,” Pepper whispered. “Dada and mama aren’t going anywhere. We promise.”

Peter whimpered and held onto his parents tighter. He knew in the back of his mind that he should want May the way he wants Tony and Pepper. He can’t find it in himself to care about May though. He just wants his parents right now, no one else.

Natasha watched as Harley paced across the living room floor. He had been biting his lips raw and seemed to never rest anymore. Steve stood up at that moment, and rested his hands on Harley’s shoulders, effectively stopping the boy’s pacing.

“Why don’t you rest for a bit,” Steve insisted. “You could probably use some food and sleep. You’ve been up for days.”

“I need to be available when Peter wakes up,” Harley protested. “He’s been asleep for _nine days_ and I have to be there.”

“Who’s to say Tony will even tell you when he wakes up,” Natasha butts in. “He might want to be alone with Peter for a while. Tony and Pepper will probably be the only ones with him after he comes to.”

“Won’t they tell me?” May whispered. “He’s my nephew. Don’t I have a right to know when he wakes up?”

Natasha and Steve shared a look together before looking at May’s crestfallen face. She’d been left in the dark since the _accident_ occurred. That’s what everyone had been calling Peter’s suicide attempt. No one could bare to call it for what it was, so Sam had suggested that they call it _the accident._ Steve had been the only one to weakly protest, which he claimed he did because he thought Peter wouldn’t like the nickname.

“I don’t know if they would,” Natasha surmised. “I’m sure if Peter asked for you, they would. But if he wakes up, they’ll probably keep him to themselves.”

“ _If_ he wakes up?!” Harley exclaimed. “What are you implying?!”

“Harley, I’m sure she didn’t mean that,” Steve coaxed, placing a comforting hand on the angry teen’s shoulder. “Right, Nat?”

“I’m sorry, Harley,” Natasha started. “I honestly didn’t mean to say that. I promise. I guess I accidentally let my negativity out. I’m sorry.”

“I understand,” Harley muttered, wrapping his arms around his chest and letting Steve push him onto the couch. “I guess we all sort of feel that way. None of us have really addressed the thought he might not wake up.”

The room went into a sad silence at Harley’s words. He was right, nobody had really talked about the facts. Peter was barely stable. Bruce had needed to put him on life support just two days after the accident, and he’d been on it since then. In the back of their minds, they knew Peter probably wouldn’t pull through.

At that moment, Bruce ran through the room towards the elevator. He slammed his hand against the button over and over as he waited for the doors to open.

“You okay, Bruce?” Natasha asked, walking over to the worried man.

“I’m heading down to the med bay,” Bruce told her. “Peter’s been awake for an hour and I just found out a minute ago.”

May and Harley both gasped at the news and ran over as the elevator dinged open. The group of five crowded into the elevator. Why did no one tell them Peter was awake?

Peter had just begun to fall asleep when Bruce ran into the room. Pepper and Tony unconsciously tightened their grip on their son as more people appeared at the door, and Peter whined in protest. He buried his face against Pepper and let out a tiny whimper that only she and her fiancé could hear. The two adults adjusted slightly to block Peter’s view of the others, protective looks taking over their features.

“Don’t let him fall asleep,” Bruce ordered. “I want to check up on him.”

Pepper nodded curtly, pulling Peter closer to her. Pepper’s face softened when she noticed May’s betrayed look. Tony and Pepper had been selfish. They’d kept Peter away from his aunt, the woman who’d raised him since he was a child, and now Pepper was seeing the woman’s pain.

“I’m sorry, May,” Pepper hesitated. “Tony was here when he woke up, and he asked for me. I asked if he wanted you, but he didn’t, so we just let it be. I guess we should have told Bruce he was awake though.”

“O-oh, okay,” May stuttered, an undeniable look of pain crossing over her face before she composed herself. “I should probably get to work. I have a shift this afternoon. Bye Peter.”

Peter didn’t even acknowledge his aunt as he tried to avoid Bruce by hiding further into Tony and Pepper’s sides. May let out a sigh of defeat and exited the room, not bothering to wait for her nephew to address her.

Pepper furrowed her eyebrows at the woman. She felt incredibly guilty for not letting May know Peter was awake right away. What right did she and Tony have to keep Peter away from her. In her defense, Peter hadn’t wanted May. When the boy had asked for his mama he hadn’t been asking for May, he’d been asking for _Pepper_. How could she deny the boy that and send his aunt instead?

“He’s looking well,” Bruce sated as he looked over the resistant boy. “He seems to be more stable than he was unconscious, which is pretty good. I’m going to get him some water and crackers, so please try to get him to eat and drink.”

“We’ll do what we can,” Tony responded. “Can he sleep after that?”

Bruce nodded as he placed the small packet of crackers and a water bottle on the bedside tray. The doctor herded the group out of the hospital, leaving the small family alone.

Pepper and Tony spent twenty minutes coaxing Peter to eat and drink. He mostly complied but eventually started falling asleep against Pepper. She gently pulled the water bottle out of his hands and placed it on the tray.

Peter let out a huge yawn and snuggled between his parents. Tony was running his fingers through Peter’s tangled, greasy curls, and Pepper squeezed his hand gently. The two adults leaned against the back of the bed, pulling their baby with them.

“I love you, mama,” Peter mumbled. “I love you, dada.”

“We love you too, Peter,” Tony whispered into his hair, holding him tighter.


End file.
